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The former captain smashed 144, including a last-wicket stand with Tamim Iqbal who came out to bat with a broken hand, to lift Bangladesh to a winning total

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando15-Sep-2018
1:01

Maharoof: SL need specialist batsmen, not allrounders

Mushfiqur Rahim’s sublime 144 hauled Bangladesh kicking and screaming to 261, then a fired-up Mashrafe Mortaza set in motion a Sri Lanka collapse, and the first match of the Asia Cup soon turned into a thrashing – Bangladesh claiming victory by 137 runs, after Sri Lanka crashed to 69 for 7, then 124 all out.A third Bangladesh senior had also played an impressive role in the victory. Tamim Iqbal faced only four deliveries in all, but he had crucially come out to bat again with a broken wrist – which he had sustained in the second over – with nine wickets down. Mushfiqur made spectacular use of his teammate’s bravery, hitting a further three fours and three sixes, as 32 runs were added to the team total, lifting Bangladesh from a modest score to a competitive one.Though his contribution was eventually drowned out by those of Bangladesh’s experienced players, one Sri Lanka old-timer also had an outstanding outing. Lasith Malinga, playing his first international in a year, shook off the rust, struck twice in his first over, and finished with 4 for 23 from 10 overs, to suggest that his one-day career was far from done yet. Had his teammates held all their catches, Malinga might have wreaked even more damage. He should have had Mohammad Mithun – who went on to make 63 in a 131-run stand with Mushfiqur – caught at mid on for one, if Angelo Mathews had held the catch while diving forward. In general, Sri Lanka were woeful in the field, spilling no fewer than four catches, including two off Mushfiqur, who was reprieved on 10 and 85. For the umpteenth time in the last three years, their catching can be said to have cost Sri Lanka a one-dayer.Though perhaps it is their batting that was the worse suit on this evening (it’s often difficult to work out which discipline was the worst with this Sri Lanka ODI team). Kusal Mendis – opening in place of Danushka Gunathilaka – was Bangladesh’s first victim, when he got himself trapped in front of the stumps the first ball he faced. Upul Tharanga had been storming away at the other end, and looked good for a big innings, until, typically, he suddenly played a poor shot. Attempting to steer a Mashrafe delivery to third man, Tharanga only managed to play it on to his stumps. Mashrafe would have a second important wicket soon after – nailing Dhananjaya de Silva in front of the stumps for a duck, with de Silva going on to waste Sri Lanka’s review. The review could potentially have saved Kusal Perera later on.Mushfiqur Rahim celebrates after reaching his sixth ODI century•ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images

In general, this was not an evening of good decision-making from Sri Lanka’s batsmen. Kusal Perera’s lbw (he had actually got a thin inside edge to that ball from Mehidy Hasan) left the team 38 for 4, not long before Angelo Mathews compounded Sri Lanka’s woes by running out Dasun Shanaka as the pair attempted a painstaking recovery. Thisara Perera holed out soon enough, and Mathews was himself dismissed for 16 off 34 balls – trapped lbw by Rubel Hossain. That Sri Lanka even survived into the 36th over and made as many as 124 was down to a plucky tail, who hung around, despite the target being clearly out of their reach. Even the tail’s efforts were not enough to prevent a record though – this victory was Bangladesh’s biggest in terms of runs, away from home.Although Mushfiqur had a little luck early on – having been dropped in the 10th over – his was nevertheless a terrific innings. He had begun slowly, playing out a maiden against the red-hot Malinga, before later producing Bangladesh’s first boundary of the match, off the last ball of the eighth over. He built steadily alongside Mithun, taking an especial liking to Sri Lanka’s finger-spinners, often venturing down the track to them, sometimes to hit boundaries.Although after Mithun fell, Mahmudullah and Mosaddek Hossain followed in quick succession, Mushfiqur batted efficiently with the tail, looking for boundaries at the start of each over, and singles towards the end. Despite his best efforts, the lower order batsmen continued to perish, however, and Bangladesh found themselves nine down in the 47th over, which should have been the end of their innings given one of their batsmen had suffered a fractured wrist earlier in the innings.Tamim, though, made the courageous decision to bat again, with his bottom hand in a cast. He hid that injured left hand behind his body, and rode out a Suranga Lakmal ball at his ribs, to hand the strike over to Mushfiqur, who didn’t disappoint. Mushfiqur moved expertly around the crease to smoke a spate of valuable late boundaries, moving past his previous best ODI score of 117, while twice making sure to take a single off the last ball of the over, to ensure Tamim did not have to face another ball. Mushfiqur had hit successive sixes off the first two balls of the final over, bowled by Thisara Perera, before he holed out attempting a third six. His valiant hand would turn out to be more than enough for Bangladesh to claim an important first victory in the tournament.

He will turn 40 two months before South Africa pack their bags for the 2019 World Cup. Any thoughts of retirement, however, are far from his mind

Liam Brickhill02-Oct-2018Imran Tahir will turn 40 two months before South Africa pack their bags for the 2019 World Cup. Any thoughts of retirement, however, are far from his mind as he focuses on staying at his best for what could be a career-defining event. When he does go, he wants to make sure it’s with his head held high.”I’m trying to go as long as I can,” Tahir said as South Africa prepared for the second ODI of their series against Zimbabwe in Bloemfontein. “Make sure I enjoy my game and I give what the team requires of me. I wouldn’t want to overstay in the team for too long. I want to leave with respect.”It’s also clear just how much it would mean to Tahir to leave the international game a World Cup winner, and he said if South Africa did win the tournament, he’d probably “call it”.”It’s a bit early for me to say anything [about retirement],” he said. “I’m loving the game at the moment. One thing I can say, if we win the world cup then I’ll definitely probably call it. It’s early for me, and I’m enjoying every opportunity I get to play for South Africa.”Tahir had been left out of South Africa’s squad for their trip to Sri Lanka so that the coach and selectors could have a look at some of the team’s other spin options – namely Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj. As a result, Tahir hadn’t played an ODI since February before he returned against Zimbabwe on Sunday, but there was no rust on his wrong ‘un as Tahir – ever the journeyman – spent his time ‘off’ playing T20 cricket in the Vitality Blast and the Caribbean Premier League. “I’ve been playing the game, which is very good for me,” he said, “I’d rather be playing than having a rest.”Tahir picked up a Vitality Blast contract with Durham (astonishingly, the seventh county he has represented), and quickly allayed any fears over his sharpness in cricket’s shortest, youngest format with 15 miserly dismissals, reviving his team’s campaign. He then went on to play a crucial role in Guyana Amazon Warriors’ run to the CPL final. He was the third-highest wicket taker at the CPL, with 16 scalps at an average of 17.75 and an economy rate of under a run a ball.While his short format bowling rhythm is certainly in working order, maintaining fitness is particularly important for Tahir as he tries to stay in peak bowling condition, and he admitted that South Africa’s training standards set the bar high. “I’ve been working really hard on my fitness,” he said. “We’ve got so many fit guys in our team, so if you want to keep the standards up, a guy like me, I need to be really up from a fitness point of view and make an impact. It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m the kind of guy who loves challenges.AFP

“I’m trying to focus my training and take that into the World Cup. I’m developing some bowling and fielding plans and things like that. And preparing for some difficult times when I might need to bowl, and I need to be really up for it whenever the captain needs me to bowl.”In many ways, Tahir’s situation is similar to that of Dale Steyn. Both are in the twilight of their international careers, vital cogs in South Africa’s World Cup plans, and happy to fill a double role of mentoring and guiding the young players around them. Tahir is particularly excited by the prospect of potentially playing in the same starting XI as Shamsi, who he labelled a “mystery bowler”.”It’s a really exciting time that we have another mystery bowler, Shamsi, and I’m really looking forward to playing with him if we play both together in any game. We do talk a lot about the game and make plans well in advance in any series or any game. And from my point of view I’m more than happy to help anyone who wants to talk about spin.”It’s nice to see the spinners coming up. I’m really looking forward to sharing my knowledge with him, and with all the spinners I play with, even at franchise level for Dolphins.”Indeed, Tahir’s value to any team comes not just in the form of his nagging legspin variations, but in his immense, almost unparalleled experience in having represented no less than 37 professional cricket teams. He’s picked up wisdom and dispensed advice virtually the world over.”I always try to help spinners as much as I can wherever I go and play, anywhere in the world. I love to talk about bowling, and whoever comes for help I’m always there. Even in IPL, PSL, I try to help the youngsters as much as I can.”Tahir’s epic cricket pilgrimage has taken him from age group to county, franchise to province, around the world and finally onto the international stage. The journey has made him the quintessential team man.”I want to take as many wickets as I can for South Africa,” he said. “But it’s not always your personal performance. It’s always nice when you do perform, but it’s more important what the team requires from you.”

Shane Warne has lashed out at Victoria’s likely move to bat Finch in the middle order in his one Shield game before the India Test series

Alex Malcolm25-Nov-2018Victoria captain Peter Handscomb has all but confirmed that Aaron Finch will not open the batting in this week’s Sheffield Shield clash against Queensland at the Gabba, despite Finch looking set to open for Australia in the first Test against India.Handscomb, who himself has been named in Australia’s 14-man squad for Adelaide, said a final decision had not yet been made but following Victoria coach Andrew McDonald’s comments last week, suggesting Finch was better suited to the middle order, Handscomb reiterated that Victoria were unlikely to break up their opening combination of Marcus Harris and Travis Dean, despite the fact that Harris and Finch could well be the opening combination for Australia in the first Test in Adelaide.”Obviously Harry has got the call up [to the Australia squad] and Deany has been making runs for us for years, so it’s hard to knock those two out of the opening positions for us,” Handscomb said. “Finchy averages 50 batting at No.5 and 6 for us so it’s also hard to change that as well.”Finch’s average over the last two Sheffield Shield seasons at No.5 and 6 for Victoria is 46.41, from 13 innings only, and includes two centuries and three fifties. His career average for Victoria in those two spots is 32.89 from 29 innings.He has not opened for Victoria since 2013-14 where he averaged just 18.50 at the top of the order in eight innings Shield innings, that did include 97 against South Australia at the MCG.The situation involving Finch’s revolving position has not pleased Shane Warne who came out strongly on Twitter calling it a “disgrace” and that Victoria should be doing what is right for Australia.Finch’s overall first-class average at the top of the order is actually better than his career first-class record. He averages 46 from 24 innings, that includes games for Australia A, the Cricket Australia XI and Australia, with two centuries and six half-centuries.He made 122 in a match for Australia A against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2011, sharing in a 289-run opening stand with David Warner. He also scored 288 not out for the CA XI against New Zealand in a bizarre tour game at Blacktown in Sydney in 2015. He and former New South Wales batsman Ryan Carters put on 503 for the first wicket in 121 overs before the match was abandoned due to an unsatisfactory pitch.Finch made scores of 62, 49, 39 and 31 in the Test series against Pakistan in the UAE after being picked as a makeshift opener for the tour. He had batted no higher than No.4 in his previous 44 first-class innings over nearly three years prior to that tour.He has been opening in T20 and ODI cricket for Australia since the UAE tour but has been struggling for runs. Handscomb believes batting in the middle order in the Shield game would not affect Finch’s preparation for the Test match.”I wouldn’t be worried at all,” Handscomb said. “Finchy has been opening the batting in white-ball cricket. He’s been facing a new swinging ball. And batting No.5 and 6 you also get the opportunity to face the second new ball, hopefully, if we’ve done our job right. He’ll be fine. He’ll get what he needs. If he does open the batting for Australia he’s ready to go.”Handscomb said his own call up to the Australia Test squad had come as a surprise after his omission from the Test tour in the UAE.”It’s a weird one,” Handscomb said. “I was hoping that I was going to get the call but I wasn’t entirely sure what was going to happen and what direction the selectors were going, but obviously I was very happy that they’ve gone with me.”He has not received any indication as to whether he will play in Adelaide but he has been in contact with Australia coach Justin Langer.”He just messaged once the side got announced and just said congratulations and good work on getting yourself back in,” Handscomb said. “But I’ve got another Shield game to go and he just said go out there and showcase what you’ve got.”

While the opener smote his 14th ODI hundred, the allrounder made an impactful return with both bat and ball

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando03-Jan-2019

Malinga earns 20% fine for slow over rate

Lasith Malinga has copped an over-rate fine in his first match as full-time captain, after Sri Lanka were found to be one over short of their target. Malinga will be fined 20% of his match fee, and his teammates 10% of theirs. More importantly, Malinga will face suspension if his team commits another over-rate offence over the next 12 months.
“Malinga pleaded guilty to the offence after the end of the match and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing,” the ICC release said.
Sri Lanka captains have repeatedly fallen afoul of over rates over the last few years, with Upul Tharanga, Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal all having suffered fines and demerit points.

Martin Guptill smote a 14th career ton, Kane Williamson cruised to 76 off 74, and James Neesham clubbed 47 not out off 13 – hitting five sixes in an over – to launch New Zealand to a monstrous total, which despite a valiant Kusal Perera hundred, Sri Lanka fell short of by 45 runs.Thanks to the start provided by Niroshan Dickwella, who made 76 off 50, and Danushka Gunathilaka, who joined him in a 119-run opening stand, Sri Lanka had the foundation to pull off an epic chase. Apart from Kusal Perera, however, no other batsmen responded. All four batsmen from Nos. 4-6 fell for less than 20, and struck at less than run-a-ball. In the end, too much was left to Kusal Perera, who despite an incredible hand, was battling an asking rate of over 15 when he got out in the 46th over. With him went all realistic chances of a successful chase, though hopes had been dwindling well before that.Although Guptill made by far the game’s biggest score, hitting 138 off 139 balls, it was Neesham – playing for New Zealand for the first time in over a year – who made the more impactful contributions. Having arrived late in the innings with the bat, he tonked Thisara Perera in the arc between the sightscreen and midwicket five times in one over – the bowler so emphatically rattled by Neesham’s hitting that he even bowled a waist-high full-toss halfway through. With 33 runs having been scored off the first five balls of his over, Thisara was at risk of bowling the most expensive ODI over ever. But the last ball, a low full toss, was only struck to long-on by Neesham.

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He did hit another six to finish the innings though, and then would come back and strike with the ball. He claimed the vital wicket of Dickwella, moving a wide length ball back off the seam slightly to draw an inside edge – the ball then ricocheting back into the stumps. He had earlier had Gunathilaka caught down the legside, and would later bounce Dinesh Chandimal out as well. In a game in which no other frontline bowler went at less than five an over, Neesham took three wickets and maintained an economy rate of 4.75 across his eight overs.Almost as good was legspinner Ish Sodhi, who took 2 for 53 from his 10 overs, and was instrumental in sucking the momentum out of the Sri Lanka innings, just as they were looking to accelerate into the death overs. This, despite struggling for control of his legbreak in the early overs, and battling a leg injury of some description, for which he spent some time off the field.Jimmy Neesham launches one over cow corner•Getty Images

Earlier, both Guptill and Williamson’s innings had been smooth from the outset, and it was their 163-run second-wicket stand that formed the spine of New Zealand’s innings. The boundaries came rapidly for Guptill through the Powerplay, and he was particularly severe when the Sri Lanka bowlers pitched wide, which they did too often.He practically skated through the middle overs, happily working Sri Lanka’s spinners into the outfield on a surface that was offering little turn. Whenever they offered him the chance to free his arms, he did so gleefully. There was an especially memorable six over extra cover off the legspin of Seekkuge Prasanna to bring up his fifty, then a swept six off Lakshan Sandakan a few overs later. As Guptill and Williamson’s scores swelled, the Sri Lanka spinners appeared more and more toothless. Neither created any clear-cut wicket chances.Williamson played another one of his effortless innings, scoring heavily behind square on the offside to begin with, before runs began to come for him right around the ground. He used his feet to the spinners, and had even less trouble turning the strike over than his partner. He had looked good for a century until Pradeep bowled an off-cutter that Williamson was slightly late on – the ball bouncing back on to the stumps. He made 76 off 74 balls.After Sri Lanka had been set their mammoth target, Dickwellla began to attack it in characteristic fashion, getting down on one knee to scoop the quicks over his head; slinking around the crease to make room to hit through the offside. He led the charge in the Powerplay, at the end of which Sri Lanka were 70 for no loss.For Kusal Perera, there were early signs he was in excellent touch. He crashed his sixth ball – a short one from Neesham – to the deep square leg boundary, and clubbed four more fours from his next 15 balls. On errors of length, he was brutal, flicking overpitched deliveries over midwicket, and slamming the short, misdirected ones past square leg.New Zealand were careful not to feed his punishing cut, though, which meant that he only occasionally scored through the offside. He raised his fourth – and perhaps best – ODI hundred by drilling Matt Henry through the covers, but by the end of his innings had scored over 75% of his runs to leg.In fact, it was a ball way outside off stump – one that he perhaps should have cracked past cover point – that was his undoing. Batting on 102 off 85 balls, he reached out to hit an angled delivery from Boult, and wound up only sending a top edge high into the gloves of debutant Tim Seifert, who had run towards point to complete the catch.Sri Lanka may be content with the fight they showed with the bat, but familiar woes have led to another ODI loss. Perhaps chief among those is lack of penetration through the middle overs. Neither Sandakan nor Prasanna could claim a wicket, allowing that giant Guptill-Williamson stand to flourish. New Zealand meanwhile, kept finding wickets through the middle overs, and ultimately claimed a comfortable victory.

Senior paceman was forced to shoulder additional responsibility following the injury to Lahiru Kumara

Andrew McGlashan in Brisbane25-Jan-2019Suranga Lakmal rated his 5 for 75 at the Gabba above his recent career-best figures in Christchurch as it allowed him to achieve the dream of a five-wicket haul in Australia on a day when he had to shoulder additional burden with Sri Lanka losing the services of Lahiru Kumara to a hamstring injury.Kumara, Sri Lanka’s fastest bowler, struck in the opening over of the day to remove Marcus Harris but spent the entire last session off the field. He will be sent for scans to reveal the extent of the injury, but bowling coach Rumesh Ratnayake feared it could be a tear, which would rule him out of the remainder of the Brisbane Test as well as the second Test in Canberra.Sri Lanka have already lost Nuwan Pradeep to a hamstring injury on this tour, and have called up Vishwa Fernando as a replacement.When Dushmantha Chameera also briefly left the field, it meant Lakmal was the lone seamer available. He removed Travis Head and Tim Paine in consecutive balls to lift Sri Lanka, who had seen the match go away from them by the 166-run stand between Head and Marnus Labuschagne. Six overs later, he trapped Kurtis Patterson lbw to make it five-wicket hauls in consecutive Tests after his 5 for 54 against New Zealand.”I treasure the Australian five-wicket haul much more than anything else,” Lakmal said. “I always wanted to take a five-wicket haul in Australia and it’s a dream come true. On wickets that help, I try to do my best and I am pretty pleased with my effort.”For a while, it seemed like Lakmal would surpass Ratnayake’s 6 for 66 as Sri Lanka’s best Test figures in Australia, and the bowling coach gave him a little pep talk when he briefly left the field feeling the effects of the workload.”When he came in after his fourth wicket to the dressing room for a break, I told him that he shouldn’t be in the dressing room but out in the middle,” Ratnayake said. “I told him that I saw seven wickets for him in the innings. I told him not to miss the opportunity. Records are there to be broken and I really wanted him to break my record tonight.”Had he done that, we would have kept them down by 40 runs or so, but all in all I am pretty pleased for him. He really felt that the loss of Lahiru is a huge one for us. So he took the onus on him to finish it off.”In the end, Chameera removed Pat Cummins and Dilruwan Perera claimed last man Jhye Richardson, so Lakmal’s figures slotted in at No. 3 for a Sri Lankan in Australia behind Ratnayake’s six-for and Chaminda Vaas’ 5 for 31 in Darwin in 2004.

Ameen scored 52 to guide the chase after Baig and Sandhu took three-fors to dismiss West Indies for 159 in the series decider

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-2019Sidra Ameen’s half-century and three-fors from Diana Baig and Nashra Sandhu led Pakistan to a four-wicket win against West Indies in the third ODI, giving the home team a historic 2-1 series victory – their first against West Indies.The win gave Pakistan two points, lifting them above West Indies to fourth place in the ICC Women’s Championship table. Pakistan now have 12 points, the same as India, but with a much inferior net run rate. West Indies remain on 11 points.The Pakistan bowlers continued their fine show from the second ODI, in which they had bowled out West Indies for 206. This time, the visitors managed only 159. Captain Stafanie Taylor opted to bat, scored 52, and even took 2 for 17, but her all-round show wasn’t enough to take West Indies through.Taylor had to walk out in the first over, Kycia Knight having been bowled by Baig off the third ball of the innings, and she stayed till the 37th over as wickets fell around her. West Indies were in a good position early on till Taylor and Deandra Dottin were batting together but Dottin’s aggressive 28 off 20 came to an end when she was run-out by Nida Dar in the eighth over.Shemaine Campbelle then joined Taylor for a 52-run stand as West Indies consolidated, but once Campbelle was caught behind off Sandhu, the innings stuttered. They slipped from 87 for 2 in the 20th over to 159 all out, losing their last eight wickets for only 72 runs. Only one other batsman – Afy Fletcher – reached double figures after that and she remained unbeaten on 21. The 21-year-old Sandhu built a stranglehold in the middle overs, taking 3 for 21 in ten overs. Baig returned to end Taylor’s 95-ball stay with a return catch, before adding one more wicket to end with 3 for 42 in eight overs.The trio of Sana Mir, Dar, and Kainat Imtiaz were also parsimonious, conceding at less than three runs per over each.Pakistan’s reply was steady, with opener Ameen’s second straight half-century guiding the chase early on. She shared useful stands with fellow opener Nahida Khan, Javeria Khan, and Dar, before falling for 52 off 107 in the 39th over. Ameen’s wicket induced a mini-wobble, as Pakistan went from 128 for 3 to 139 for 6 in the space of 22 balls, but the experienced Mir came in at No. 8 and guided the team home, hitting a boundary with the scores level to seal victory in 47.2 overs.Shakera Selman took 2 for 24 in ten overs while Taylor had a fruitful seven-over stint too. But the other bowlers couldn’t sustain the pressure as much to defend the sub-par total.

The returning David Warner should open, and Steven Smith can move down to No. 4 or No. 5, says the former Australia captain

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Mar-20192:13

Will be surprised if Khawaja isn’t in the World Cup squad – Ponting

If David Warner and Steven Smith return to the Australia squad for the World Cup, will there still be room for Usman Khawaja, their star of the 3-2 ODI series win in India, in the XI? Ricky Ponting certainly wants that to happen, saying that Khawaja, if required, could even drop down to No. 3 to accommodate Warner at his favoured position at the top of the order.ALSO READ: Khawaja makes a statement, and a strong case, for the World Cup“I think we all saw, over the last few weeks, just how skillful a player Usman Khawaja is and can be, and I think when you see him play like that, it just makes you wonder why he doesn’t do it a bit more regularly. I think that’s the disappointing thing as far as he is concerned,” Ponting said at a Delhi Capitals function ahead of the IPL of the man who topped the run-getters’ chart for the five-match series with 383 runs, including two centuries and two half-centuries.”I would be surprised if Khawaja wasn’t in the squad. Warner and he can be in the same squad; they might not necessarily play in the same XI. Or who knows, they could, you know: Khawaja could probably slot down at three when Warner comes in, and Steven Smith might bat at four or five or something, just to shore up those middle overs.”It’s a toughie for the selectors, Ponting, who will join the Australian team as its assistant coach after the IPL, conceded, with the team having tried out many players in the almost-year since Smith and Warner were banned for their roles in the ball-tampering scandal in the Newlands Test against South Africa.”It’s going to be a tough job for the Australian selectors. The fact that they have played so many players over the past 12 months and given opportunities to so many players, it’s probably created a situation now that they have 20 players they’d want to have in their World Cup squad. But they have to cut that back down to 15. It’s a good position for the Australian team to be in. Thankfully I’m not a selector, because that’s going to be a tough job,” he said.Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly, coach and advisor with Delhi Capitals respectively, share a laugh at a press event•PTI

One of the trickier bits for the team is the form of Aaron Finch, their limited-overs captain. Finch has endured a poor run of form across formats of late, with the 93 he scored against India in the third ODI his only major score. He will lead the team in the upcoming series of ODIs in the UAE against Pakistan too, but his form will most certainly be under the microscope.Ponting said he was “pretty sure” Finch would lead Australia at the World Cup, adding that he should make use of Smith’s presence on the field when necessary.”He (Smith) is still out on the field, so he can help Aaron Finch out. I think that’s the way the team will work. With David Warner and Steve Smith coming back, you’ve got two very experienced players coming back into the line-up, and two very, very good players. So I would imagine that Aaron Finch would be leaning on Steven Smith a lot for a bit of advice, maybe leading into the games, as far as their preparations and everything is concerned, and maybe a bit of advice and knowledge as the game is being played,” Ponting said.”I don’t see it as a concern. I think it showed great character from Aaron Finch to be able to, even though he wasn’t playing well personally for a long time, to come to India and play that one really good innings where he made 97 [93]; but to be able to lead well when he wasn’t playing well says a lot about him. What we know about Aaron Finch is that he is a very, very good white-ball player, he’s probably been Australia’s best one-day player for the last couple of years.”It’s a good sign for Australia that even though he’s out of form, if he gets into form just before the World Cup, then it’s a real positive for Australia.”The series win in India has changed people’s perceptions about Australia. They had been in a trough of sorts for the best part of 2018, but beating India has come at an excellent time keeping the World Cup in mind.”It’s funny how quickly things can change. Two weeks ago, not a single person in the world would have given Australia a chance of winning the World Cup. On the back of three really good wins over here, everyone’s talking about Australia again,” Ponting said.”What’s happened of late, I don’t think any team will be taking Australia for granted, as they won’t take India for granted on the back of losing that series. Everyone’s making a lot about the result from Australia and being a bit more negative towards India. There’s no need for that at all. This Indian cricket team is a very, very good cricket team. Whatever position they have up for grabs in their batting order [the No. 4 batsman], they’ll fill that with a quality player. And they will go into the World Cup as one of the favourites, if not the favourite.”

England allrounder reflects on incident that threatened his career in first full interview since being acquitted of affray

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Apr-2019Ben Stokes has said the chain of events that escalated from his fight outside a Bristol nightclub in September 2017 may be the “the best thing that could have happened to me”, as he reflected on his brush with career oblivion in his first full interview since the incident occurred.Speaking exclusively to ESPNcricinfo during a visit to a children’s charity in Jaipur, Stokes – who is playing for Rajasthan Royals in this year’s IPL – said that his lifestyle had been transformed since he was acquitted of affray at Bristol Crown Court in August last year.And, having missed last year’s Ashes tour of Australia after being suspended by the ECB pending the police investigation, Stokes said that he is doubly determined to win this year’s World Cup on home soil, because “I don’t want to be remembered as the guy who had a fight in the street”.”Thinking all this is going to be taken away from me might be the thing that has changed the way I do things,” Stokes said of an episode which dogged his career for 15 months before being concluded in December last year, at the completion of the ECB’s Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) hearing. “I was that close to my career ending and being thrown away just like that. Maybe that is it.”It sounds silly but, could Bristol have been the best thing that could have happened to me? Who knows. But maybe in terms of my way of thinking.”Stokes said that his off-field activities had changed since his arrest outside Mbargo nightclub at 2.30am, in the wake of England’s victory over West Indies in an ODI in Bristol.”I don’t go out anymore. I mean, I might go out for dinner, but I don’t go out-out [for a big night] anymore in England.”I used to love going out and celebrating with the lads. But we can do that in the hotel and I don’t miss it. I don’t feel that urge any more. Once you make the transition to not doing it then you don’t miss it”It’s pointless. You get recognised and then, after someone has had a few ego boosters, a few vodka and whatevers, they feel they can come up to you and say whatever they feel. There are people ready to target you everywhere you go. I prefer staying in and chatting nonsense with my team-mates.”Stokes added that he had learned a different way to let off steam amid the pressures of being a high-profile sportsman, and accepted that, at the age of 27, he’s reaching the point of his career when he needs to take greater care of his athleticism.”The older you get the harder you’ve got to train,” Stokes says. “You don’t have niggles when you’re 20. But as you get older you start to feel it. I’m only 27 but it is about this age that everything starts to hurt a bit more and it’s harder to get going.”I just feel that the best thing to do if I want to play for as long as possible is be as fit as I can be. I don’t want to look back at the end of my career and say I could have done more and I could have tried harder.”He also insisted that the England team as a whole did not have a “drinking culture”, a claim that was exacerbated by a spate of incidents during the Ashes tour in 2017-18, the trip that Stokes himself missed in the wake of his arrest.”I’m not sure where that phrase came from,” he says. “But it’s very unfair. I guess you put what happened in Bristol and then what happened in Australia with Jonny Bairstow together and, even though they were completely different situations, they involve alcohol, so suddenly it’s seen as a drinking problem. It’s not right the phrase.””That night wasn’t normal,” he added of the Bristol incident. “I hardly drink. I might have a beer or glass of wine over dinner.”Stokes’ involvement with a children’s charity in Jaipur is just one aspect of how he is now seeking to use his high profile to improve the lot of others who are less fortunate than he is.”I know I’m in a very fortunate position. I make a good living doing something I used to do for fun as a kid messing around in the garden. I’m in a fortunate position, so you try and give what you can, I guess.””It is a terrible situation,” Stokes said of the levels of child poverty in India. “But it is good that people are going to hear about it and see what I’ve had my eyes opened to. I’m definitely going to stay involved.”He added: “No matter what happens in life with me now, the Bristol thing will always be there. It’s something I’ll always carry with me. It’ll always be there. Always.”I want to do things on the field to be remembered for. If we win the World Cup, that becomes the first paragraph [of his ESPNcricinfo profile], doesn’t it? I don’t want to be remembered as the guy who had a fight in the street.”

The latest round-up of how the Australians are performing in the IPL and county cricket as the World Cup and Australia A tours edge closer

Alex Malcolm07-May-2019Who’s in form and who’s notJames Pattinson was the only member of the Australia A squads playing overseas this week. He only played once though after Nottinghamshire’s Royal London One-Day Cup clash with Durham was washed out. Pattinson took 1 for 55 from nine overs and made an important 15 from 10 balls in a thrilling win over Northamptonshire.Ashton Turner, another Australia A squad member, oddly didn’t get selected in Rajasthan Royal’s last IPL game against Delhi.Chris Lynn, who is not in Australia’s winter squads, had an excellent finish to the IPL for Kolkata making 46 off 22 against Kings XI and then 41 from 29 in the loss to Mumbai Indians.Andrew Tye dismissed Lynn but had a very difficult season for Kings XI. After being the IPL’s leading wicket-taker in 2018 with 24, and an economy rate of 8.00, he took just three wickets in six games this season with an economy rate of 10.59. In his last two outings he conceded 78 runs in just six overs.#AsheswatchThe Royal London Cup continued in England this week as the County Championship remains on hold with World Cup preparations ramping up. Although 50-over white-ball form may not carry as much weight towards Ashes selection, the Australian selectors are undoubtedly keeping an eye on the players involved.Cameron Bancroft was starved of opportunity this week due to bad weather. Durham’s clash with Notts was abandoned prior to the toss and he was 18 not out when the clash with Yorkshire was washed out after 34.2 overs, a result that eliminated Durham from the competitionMatt Renshaw is putting his hand up for allrounder status in white-ball cricket. He took 2 for 17 from five overs and made 32 not out in Kent’s a big win over Surrey. But his returns with bat and ball against Essex weren’t as fruitful. Peter Siddle didn’t play for Essex.Marnus Labuschagne has been doing plenty of bowling, taking 2 for 57 from his full quote of 10 overs for Glamorgan against Middlesex, but he would prefer a few more runs after making 16 in the loss and became the first List A wicket for Sam Robson’s part-time spin.Jake Lehmann made an impressive start to his short spell with Lancashire•Getty Images

Did you see?Jake Lehmann made an excellent start at Lancashire as a replacement for Glenn Maxwell. He struck 77 not out from 66 balls in a win over Derbyshire. He then followed up with 23 in a loss to Warwickshire.Injury listTurner revealed last week he will need shoulder surgery after the Australia A tour of England. It will be the third procedure he’s had on his right shoulder but he hopes it will fix the issue that has restricted his bowling and throwing.Performance of the weekCallum Ferguson is a forgotten man in Australian cricket. He was in the mix for the ODI tour of India but was dropped from South Australia’s Sheffield Shield team late in the season. He made 103 not out from just 95 balls for Worcestershire on Monday as they chased down 352 with ease at Derby. Ferguson had a great season in the Royal London Cup last year with Worcestershire and will be hoping to carry that form forward.

The left hander is expected to miss at least India’s next two matches and his ability to field will also be a factor in his recovery

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-2019Shikhar Dhawan’s fractured left hand will be assessed after 10-12 days and India captain Virat Kohli hopes the batsman’s positive mindset will help his recovery.Dhawan was injured in the match against Australia played on June 9, during which he scored a century, and therefore the earliest he will go through an examination of how much his fractured hand has mended can only be made after approximately June 21.”Dhawan is going to be in a plaster for a couple of weeks. After that we will assess where he stands,” Kohli said. “Hopefully, the injury heals quickly and he will be available for the latter half of our league games and semi-finals for sure.”From that point of view, we want to hold him back, keep him here because he wants to play. I think that kind of mindset will help in healing the injury as well as he really wants to play.”However, it will not be his ability to bat alone that will be under question. India fielding coach R Sridhar said that the assessment will have to include the load that his hand will be put under once it has mended sufficiently to undergo heavier examination.Sridhar said that “throwing won’t be a problem as it is not his dominant hand” – Dhawan is a natural right hander who bats left handed. What will need to be studied carefully is “the impact while fielding and catching, specially is he is a slip fielder”.Following the washout against New Zealand it is possible Dhawan will miss on not one but India’s next two matches, against Pakistan and Afghanistan. Sridhar said that as far as his department goes, Dhawan would be tested out after 10-odd days, “with lighter balls first and gradually move on to the cricket ball and see how it goes from there, but yes that will be a challenge”.Rishabh Pant has been called into the squad as cover but will not officially be added unless Dhawan fails to recover. Once a player is ruled out of the tournament through injury he can’t be brought back unless another player is injured and the ICC technical committee is satisfied with the replacement. In the short-term India will use KL Rahul in the opening position.